Posts about Family Fun

Every year when I start hearing the radio ads for the Sportsmen’s
Show, I’m immediately transported back to being 8 years old and anxiously awaiting ads for the Iowa Sports Show at Vets Auditorium. As the
oldest grandchild, I had the privilege of being grandpa’s special guest at the annual
Sports Show. It meant getting out of school early, McDonalds for dinner (back
when McDonald’s was a treat) and a whole evening with my grandfather wandering
the aisles looking at the all of the new fishing products, checking out possible resorts for future trips, maybe watching a seminar and then settling in with pop corn for the
stage show – the retrieving dogs, log rolling and an act from the HeeHaw TV
show. I always came home tired with a bag as big as I was with all of the colorful,
exciting brochures for exotic sounding places like Lake of the Woods, Lake of the Ozarks
and Canada.

My grandfather was a farmer, but as he got older his fishing
trips became his passion. He purchased an old motor home and all six of us
grandchildren took memorable trips in “the Dog House.” It might have
just been an overnight to the lake for bullheads, or maybe a week at Lake of
the Woods or Table Rock, but the memories made can’t be priced. Now that we’re
all grown and have families of our own, we take to fishing trips
to some of those places that seemed so far away and exotic in those sport show
brochures of my youth.

My own daughter has been going to the ice fishing show with
her dad since she was a baby - she checks out the ice shacks
and more often than not, is successful at the trout pond. Now that she’s 8,
maybe it’s time for me to take her to the Sportshow and introduce her to those
wonderful exotic places like the Lake of the Woods and Canada! I’m sure she’ll love Twiggy the Waterskiing Squirrel, too!

The Sportsmen’s Show is January 13-17 at the Rivercenter in
St. Paul. Discount tickets are available at www.stpaulsportshow.com/. Take your child, collect those colorful brochures and plan a trip together and create some lifetime memories!

With more fresh snow, day 2 brings a gift idea for the whole family. While down hill and cross country skiing are popular, they can be expensive sports for a family - not to mention that it often involves travel to participate. A more affordable way to play on the snow is snowshoes. They can be used anywhere from the backyard to the woods. These are "out of the package" gifts - no complex instruction manual or batteries needed - just strap onto your boots and go. Today's modern metals and plastics mean that there are price entry points for all budgets. Plus snowshoeing is a great low impact aerobic excercise that burns more calories than running or walking at the same speed. Many park districts and nature centers have rental snowshoes and you can purchase children and adult sizes at local retailers including REI and Sports Authority.

Day 3 brings gifts that keep on giving. For teens and adults that cross country ski - a MN Ski Pass gives them acess to miles of groomed trails in state parks and forests. At just $15 for the season a MN Ski Pass is a great stocking stuffer! Passes can be purchased anywhere that offers electronic license purchase, online at the DNR website or at State Parks. A three year pass is also available.

For kids a membership to the local nature center gives them opportunities to explore nature all year. A membership paired with a field guide or flashlight is a great stocking stuffer. Staffed by naturalists and volunteers who love the outdoors these local treasures are the the forefront of the no child left inside movement. They offer trails for walking and hiking, educational classes and more. Many are preserving nature and wetlands with in an urban setting. Just a sampling in the metro include Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield, Dodge Nature Center in South St. Paul, Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings and Westwood Hills in St. Louis Park.

This week's snow has finally put me in the holiday spirit and looking at the calendar it's less than two short weeks until Christmas. If you put off your shopping or are looking for creative ideas for the outdoor woman or child in your life - I'll be posting two ideas a day up until Dec. 24th!

With apologies to Frederic Austin, composer of The Twelve Days of Christmas, here's my Christmas list.....

For the outdoor kid - Smartwool socks If you family is anything like mine - socks are always under the tree. As adults we always put on performance socks for outdoor activities, but think nothing of sending our kids out with cotton socks in their snow boots. And unlike most of us - kids spend far more time outside in the winter than we do. Fill their stockings with a a pair or two of Smartwool socks. They'll keep their feet warm and dry and they come in lots of fun designs and colors for even the most descrimating kid.

For the outdoor woman - Smartwool sweaterSmartwool has applied their "woolology" technology to performance clothing and sweaters. I find myself fondling these lightweight, washable, "no itch" sweaters everytime I'm in a sporting goods store. Their clean, classic designs mean these functional sweaters will also be fashionable for years to come. Santa - Snowflake Full Zip size large, please.

You can still place orders on line at www.smartwool.com and receive before Christmas or stop by a local dealer including Gander Mountain, Joe's Sporting Goods, Dick's, Sports Authority, Hoigaards, Nokomis Shoes or Midwest Mountaineering to make your holiday purchase.

The Star
Tribune asked their new bloggers to submit a couple of favorite fishing photos.
As I looked through my photos, wonderful memories came flooding back and not
all related to the size of the fish in the picture.

I grew up
shore fishing for bullheads during family camping trips at the lake with basic poles
and worms or corn for bait. I didn’t get “serious” about fishing until I moved
to Minnesota and got a job in the outdoor field. All of a sudden, I needed to
fish for work. (For many that would be a dream job!) I’ve had
the opportunity to fish with professional fishermen and I definitely learned a lot, but the
trips that remain at the forefront are the ones that include good friends and family, lots of laughter and sometimes, just the quiet time spent in beautiful
surroundings repeatedly casting and retrieving a lure.

Through
my affiliation with the MN Becoming an Outdoors Woman, I’ve meet women from all
walks of life and through our shared love of the outdoors, a group of us have
started taking an annual Canadian fishing trip. We spend all day on the water, catch
and eat lots of walleyes; but the time away from the demands of work and being
a mom and wife, with these friends in the pristine surroundings is more
restorative than any massage. We start planning the next year’s trip on the way
home!

But the
best trip was the leisurely day on a small lake near Brainerd when my
daughter caught her first fish. She had been sharing the boat since she was an
infant. In those early years, she did lots of sleeping on the deck, “freeing”
minnows, and holding the net. But this trip was special, after weeks of
practicing with a plug in the back yard, she was finally big enough to cast on
her own. She would cast and patiently watch her bobber learning that perfect
moment to set the hook. Her excitement with that first small bluegill has
translated into a love of fishing. She’s
done the Mpls. Park district summer fishing club on Lake Nokomis and if she
hears someone mention fishing – she has her pole and tackle box ready!

With her
enthusiasm, I’m looking at outdoors sports through new eyes and taking the time
to enjoy spending time together, teaching her skills that some day she will pass
on to her own children.

(You’ll
find my postings will have a definite child and family focus and I hope they
will inspire you to shut off the phone and TV and step outside to explore the
water and woods together.)

The Star
Tribune asked their new bloggers to submit a couple of favorite fishing photos.
As I looked through my photos, wonderful memories came flooding back and not
all related to the size of the fish in the picture.

I grew up
shore fishing for bullheads during family camping trips at the lake with basic poles
and worms or corn for bait. I didn’t get “serious” about fishing until I moved
to Minnesota and got a job in the outdoor field. All of a sudden, I needed to
fish for work. (For many that would be a dream job!) I’ve had
the opportunity to fish with professional fishermen and I definitely learned a lot, but the
trips that remain at the forefront are the ones that include good friends and family, lots of laughter and sometimes, just the quiet time spent in beautiful
surroundings repeatedly casting and retrieving a lure.

Through
my affiliation with the MN Becoming an Outdoors Woman, I’ve meet women from all
walks of life and through our shared love of the outdoors, a group of us have
started taking an annual Canadian fishing trip. We spend all day on the water, catch
and eat lots of walleyes; but the time away from the demands of work and being
a mom and wife, with these friends in the pristine surroundings is more
restorative than any massage. We start planning the next year’s trip on the way
home!

But the
best trip was the leisurely day on a small lake near Brainerd when my
daughter caught her first fish. She had been sharing the boat since she was an
infant. In those early years, she did lots of sleeping on the deck, “freeing”
minnows, and holding the net. But this trip was special, after weeks of
practicing with a plug in the back yard, she was finally big enough to cast on
her own. She would cast and patiently watch her bobber learning that perfect
moment to set the hook. Her excitement with that first small bluegill has
translated into a love of fishing. She’s
done the Mpls. Park district summer fishing club on Lake Nokomis and if she
hears someone mention fishing – she has her pole and tackle box ready!

With her
enthusiasm, I’m looking at outdoors sports through new eyes and taking the time
to enjoy spending time together, teaching her skills that some day she will pass
on to her own children.

(You’ll
find my postings will have a definite child and family focus and I hope they
will inspire you to shut off the phone and TV and step outside to explore the
water and woods together.)